italy

If you follow me on Instagram you probably know I went to Perugia this past Saturday, the 21st of October, at the Eurochocolate Festival that takes place there every year. The trip was organised by some students of my University. They rented 2 busses, very nice ones by the way, bought us breakfast and took us to Perugia in 2 hours time. We were all pretty much the same age, so things went very well, aka we had a blast.

We got there at about 10am and had time until 4:30pm to wander around. And let me tell you, it was great. Besides the chocolate itself, Perugia is a very nice town, very old and semi-high up in altitude.

My friend and I managed to find a pretty desolated spot where there was a great view, along with some benches to relax on, with the chilly mountain air.

Besides this amazing view, the town centre was packed with tourists, as well as with guests from a wedding that took place there.

We then found an even more photogenic place, after wandering into a bookstore and coming out with Beyoncé’s first CD. Oops.

I have finally returned from my vacation in Scalea, Calabria. For those of you who do not know, just like I did not know some months ago, Scalea is a comune in the province of Cosenza in Southern Italy. My friend and I decided to spend our holidays there because she had already been to this place years ago and the sea is beautiful.

We stayed at Santa Caterina Village, quite a peculiar hotel for two young girls. Let’s say that the village scene is more for families and older people; but it was fine. It was not spectacular, the days were all like the one before, but I managed to relax and that was my goal.

On the 23rd of July I got out of bed at 4:45am, picked my friend up and made our way to Roma Termini, the main train station in Rome. There, we took a Frecciarossa to Naples, which took about an hour and was, needless to say, comfortable. From Naples we took a Regional train to Scalea and let me tell you, I have never been on a more packed train. There were old men singing, children playing, my stomach was killing me and my friend was with her legs on the suitcase between mine. It was a journey which lasted 3 and a half hours.

Note the despair.

Finally, we made it to Scalea, got our rooms after another long wait and after dodging the invasive guys who were there to animate the environment. As you can see, in our room we had a big bed, made of two single ones and then we had a single one, which became the resting place for my suitcase for the entirety of our journey.

Note the relief.

After staying still for a bit, we went to the beach. The water was pretty, clear and unfortunately for me, almost immediately deep.

Of course, as soon as the sun started setting, I had to take some pictures, before dinner. You guys know that is what I love doing on trips.

The next days have been a little more photoshoot-intense, especially in my bathing suits. Unfortunately, the next days have also been pretty turbulent regarding the sea, reason why people were not allowed to swim. Regardless, I posed.

On the 27th, we finally decided to get out of the resort and visit the city. Let me tell you, besides people not being very mindful and cautious drivers, the city itself is beautiful. All along the beach there are some shops (I went to “Il Brigante” to buy typical food items, such as ‘nduja, spicy salami and liquor), while the historical centre is situated somewhere higher and I am pretty sure it could be reached by car, although we did not venture so far.

A habit of mine is taking pictures of old or peculiar houses and there were a couple which did catch my eye, both inhabited and non.

Word of mouth had that there were some stairs to be climbed somewhere on the rocks where the view was fantastic, so we of course had to go. Besides the steps being steep, the view was indeed glorious and heavenly.

Our last adventure before returning home was taking a train trip to Diamante, another touristic city nearby, probably less busy with tourists. It gave me the feeling of a fortress, with its high walls facing the sea.

The remaining days and nights I spent chilling and dancing bachata before going to sleep. Our journey back was tiring; our train was 30 minutes late, packed and it stopped at random times. We got back to Termini with the same delay and we saw we were not the only ones, as there was a train 190 minutes late. I would have gone mad.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and the pictures that came with it.

I cannot believe this is real. I finally finished high school, after 5 intense and gruelling years (yes, high school lasts 5 years in Italy). The feeling has just started settling in even though when I am writing this 2 weeks have passed since I took my last exam.

I am content with the way my finals went. Could have they gone better? Of course, it can always go better, but I was well aware of what I have done during these 5 years and what my limits were (aka the math part was not really my forte).

I must say that I was not stressed in the least during my exam weeks. Yes, it was overwhelming but what was done was done and no late night study sessions could mend the spaces left behind. I was calm and collected, despite experiencing a very harsh UTI when I took my first exam. I know, it might be too much information, but it is what it is.

Now that all is said and done, I think I should reflect on what these last 5 years have meant and what they have done for me.

When I started high school I was a completely different person, and I really mean it. I was extremely shy, awkward and would not socialise whatsoever. Thankfully, I then became friends with a classmate of mine who was and is my complete opposite. She helped me become more open to opportunities and talk more. From then on, despite some people not believing in me, be it because I am female, be it because I am Romanian, I thrived. I often came out on top, regardless of whether I studied or not and that made people angry. The fact that I was respectful to everyone made people angry. And now, despite everyone’s doubts and comments, I am a happy woman, who feels fulfilled and who is extremely, extremely excited to move forward in life, and that means going to university.

I cannot wait (I mean, I can a bit) to start this new chapter in my life and take you guys with me. Thank you so much for reading.

I finally went shopping this season and I have to say I am not too displeased with the results, although I still need some items.

I went shopping with the intention of buying office attire for my New York trip in March, but I only bought two items with that purpose. Let’s start.

1 . Huge Scarf – H&M

I bought this extremely long and fluffy scarf because it has been freezing lately here in Italy. It even snowed in Sicily, just to give you an idea. So I got this scarf, although it was not on sale and I could not find it on the website. It is a light grey with a very slight blue tint. It cost €14,99 and it feels like cashmere, although it is 100% acrylic.

I already have a couple of tees like this, but I could not help myself because this colour is extremely pretty. It is a neutral grey with warm tones and I am a sucker for it. It cost €9,99 and it was not on sale, since basics never are, in my experience. I got in in a size S.

Again, I bought this pullover mainly for the colour but also for the semi-deep v-neck. I love sweaters with this cut, since I consider them very sexy and feminine. On the side I could only find it in the colour black. It originally cost €24,99 but I paid €10 for it. I got it in a size S.

I really needed a blazer for New York and I found a pretty simple black on for €24,99 although not on sale. It fits nicely and it is tighter around the waist, which is what I was looking for. I got it in a size US 6, EUR 36.

I know, I have a problem. I just love jackets and bomber jackets in particular. I already have a black one and an army green one, but I really wanted this one. The colour is gorgeous and I got it even though it was not on sale, for €29,99. It has an edgier look than my other ones and I cannot wait to wear it. I got it in a size M.

This is a very cropped crop top with a crossover neckline. I would wear it with high waisted jeans or with a high waisted skirt. It is knitted and it was on sale for €5,99 reduced from €12,99. I got it in a size S.

7. Sporty Crop Top – Pull & Bear

This crop top just augments my ambition to have abs. I really want to wear it at the gym without worrying about my stomach. I could not find it on the site, unfortunately. It has “GIRL GANG” printed on the bottom and it looks very nice on. I got it in a size S.

The love I have for this dress is immense. I never thought this type of dress would flatter my body shape, but this particular one does. It is not too short and it fits very nicely, while still being flowy. It cost €19,99 and it was again, not on sale.

9. Knit Dress – Zara

Once again, I could not find this particular dress on the site and it is honestly a shame. It is so beautiful on and not too tight. It must be sold out almost everywhere, since I also got the last one in the store. It was reduced form €49,99 to €19,99, so it is probably the best bargain here.

10. Flowy Shirt – Zara

I needed a shirt like this for my New York trip and I am glad I found it. I love how it is not stark white and how it looks very classic. And yes, you guessed right, it is not on the site anymore.

Well, this is all for now. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for reading.

This post, which will mainly contain pictures, has been a long time coming. Lately, I have been lacking motivation and determination to keep this blog running, and with school starting again, time has been a resource I have a hard time getting enough of.

Nonetheless, I will try to post every once in a while, especially when I have interesting content to put out.

I hope you enjoy this post.

These are my favourite pictures I took of the works of art on show there. Getting through the museum took ages, since there is so so much to be seen. I highly recommend you checking it out.

I was eager to visit this gallery, since I prefer viewing collections which are exhibited in a more private setting rather than a museum. This gallery is located inside the Palazzo Corsini and boasts works of art from the Renaissance onward. It is not as vast nor as imposing as the Doria Pamphilj Gallery, which I spoke about here, but it is very pleasing nonetheless.

Getting to the building is a bit trickier, since it is located on a not so busy street on the other side of the Tiber river. I advise you to either ask for directions or use the Maps iPhone app or similar, if you decide to visit.

To buy your tickets, you must first go up the flight of stairs and get to the main lobby, where you can find the workers. The ticket was not expensive, costing only €5. The architecture is beautiful and the stairs as well, although I am slightly obsessed with stairs in general.

I did thoroughly enjoy the white theme of the building itself, although the gallery was certainly more colourful. The main entrance to the gallery is a wide but short sort of hallway, where there are a couple of works hanged.

Unfortunately, the light was not used well enough, since taking good picture became quite an effort, or it was simply the wrong time of day. If you want good pictures, do not visit galleries in the morning.

The gallery itself is mainly made of paintings hanging on hallway and room walls, since this used to be a private palace.

I enjoyed the various rooms and how their walls were all painted different colours, giving a different feel to each room.

There is only one floor to the gallery, but there is another flight of stairs which leads to a couple of locked doors. How I wish those doors were open; locked doors in galleries which used to be private residences fascinate me a great deal.

I took the elevator down, which gave me a pretty view of the vast garden downstairs and the landscape behind it.

This is it about my trip to this art gallery and I highly suggest you go visit it if you are staying in Rome for some time. I also visited the Capitoline Museums, which took me way longer, but that deserves a whole post to itself.

I finally got around to visiting Rome again, and this time I decided to walk a lot. I took the train mid-morning and got to the station at about 11am. I decided to not take a bus and walk towards the Isola Tiberina, which is an island in the middle of the Tiber river.

Of course, I had to let something guide me, that something being the Maps iPhone app. I swear, it made me lose so much time, because it made me take quite external routes, only to end up in the same place I would have reached more easily myself. Regardless, I explored some new places of the capital, where there were no tourists to be found, only old buildings.

Of course, every turn I made led me to an inclined road. That app led me to a knot of small streets, where there were literally no people. I reached a tiny street I had to take, only to notice that said street was blocked due to construction. On this day I acquired a new ability : finding new streets. Yes, while the voice from the app was trying to make me turn back and take that street, I completely ignored it and found my own way. So much independence.

I then finally reached the tiny island. The river is not known for being clean, but it was a very nice day, so even the water looked nice. The island hosts two hospitals and two churches, which I did not visit.

I then started making my way back towards the centre of the city and only stopped because I saw this statue on my way.

I finally reached the Doria Pamphilj Gallery, where I payed an €8 fee because I am under 26 years of age. The Gallery is located on Via del Corso and it is very easily reachable. Also, there is a free audio guide in more than two languages, if you want one. The building surrounds a tiny garden.

To reach the actual Gallery, one must first go up a couple flights of stairs, where you can find various busts and even the family coat of arms, since this building is still privately owned by the royal Doria Pamphilj family.

Firstly, I entered the Poussin room, which held a great number of landscapes, mainly works of Claude Lorraine. It was probably on of the most visually pleasing rooms in the Gallery, because of the contrast between the walls and the paintings.

Adjacent to this room, there is a smaller red room, which also holds some paintings and a huge mirror. Of course, I could not help myself and had to take some shameless mirror selfies.

Next up another small room, this time mainly yellow, which from what I gathered used to be the ballroom, was mainly empty, but the tapestry and lighting were amazing.

The Gallery also has a chapel, where the family saint is buried. There is no dome, but there is an optical illusion on the ceiling resembling one.

After this, I entered the real gallery, which is an ensemble of four corridors filled with paintings and some statues. I was excited to see some works by Raphael and some other artists I studied, like Titian, Caravaggio and Veronese.

My favourite part was the small hall of mirrors, which resembles the one in Versailles. It was so pretty I even published a picture on Instagram.

There were also smaller rooms which held a few paintings, where natural light was reduced.

There is also another huge room which holds three paintings by Caravaggio and one by Raphael. I was very excited when I saw that there was also a painting by Vasari, who, if you have ever studied the Renaissance period, always had a lot to say about every artist in Europe.

This museum trip was successful and I plan on going on a couple more before school starts in September, even if I have to go by myself. I hope you liked this post and thank you for reading.